WHY THE IGBOS ARE MISUNDERSTOOD

WHY THE IGBOS ARE MISUNDERSTOOD

WHY THE IGBOS ARE MISUNDERSTOOD

The Igbo man has always been a puzzle — admired for his courage, yet condemned for his confidence. To understand the Igbo, one must first understand his history. A people once broken by war, yet never bowed. The ashes of Biafra still cling to the nation’s memory, painting the Igbo spirit with colours of suspicion. What others call rebellion was, for the Igbo, a cry for survival — a desperate attempt to live with dignity in a land that denied them fairness.

The Igbo is born into freedom. His world is not ruled by kings or gods, but by the voice of the people. In every town meeting, every family gathering, his tongue is trained to speak truth to power. He questions, he debates, he insists — not because he disrespects authority, but because his blood rejects blind submission. And so, in a country where silence is mistaken for loyalty, the Igbo’s honesty is branded arrogance.

He travels far, builds homes in strange lands, and plants his roots where others see no soil. From the crowded markets of Kano to the busy streets of Lagos, you will find him — rebuilding his life again and again. He does not wait for help; he creates it. Yet this same spirit that should inspire admiration often attracts envy. When an Igbo man rises, some call him greedy. When he fails, they call him proud. When he speaks of justice, they call him a rebel.

The truth is that the Igbo has never hated Nigeria — he has simply asked to belong in it. But his voice, loud and fearless, unsettles a nation used to silence. His call for equity is twisted into separatism; his drive for excellence mistaken for domination. And so he remains misunderstood — celebrated for his brilliance, but distrusted for his boldness.

But if only the nation would look deeper, beyond the stereotypes and the scars, it would see what the Igbo truly represents — the unbroken spirit of a people who refuse to die. A people who believe that greatness does not come from where you are born, but from what you build with your hands. A people who carry Nigeria on their backs, even when Nigeria refuses to carry them in its heart.

The misunderstanding of the Igbo is not about who he is, but about what the nation has refused to understand — that freedom, dignity, and enterprise are not arrogance. They are the heartbeat of progress.